It's snowing again...
ugh....
It's the end of an era....
That video was probably one of the first music videos I remember from when I was a wee laddie. And of course, the song is like one of the hugest hits of the '80s.
On the upside, it says they might be pursuing politics..... >_>
Why?!?!
I am totally behind in blogging. I got lots of pics to sort out from my trip to California.
But for some reason, whenever I sit down to blog, I decide I'd rather just do something else.... What is it about this place that just kind of demotivates me? It's like I just don't feel like putting in the effort these days. I guess I'm becoming more Canadian than American... har har har!
Well, maybe this weekend, I will get on it....
But I do have some pics from hiking in my Vibrams that I want to post about.... So it's coming.... Just be patient....
I broke down and bought another pair of Vibram's... These were actually the color that I wanted originally, but my desire to own a pair of this amazing footwear over-rode my sense of fashion...
I'll be going hiking in my other pair, the first hiking experience. So I'll probably have something to report tomorrow or something.
Just got back from Charlie's Taqueria (again) and I think I'm about to explode, I ate so much.
The carnitas is crispy on the outside, and soft and juicy on the inside. Mmmmmm...
Plus all the delicious salsas....
Oh man... I wish I would never get full so I could eat more food from there.
Also, I got something new! Caldo de Camaron! I've never had that before, but felt inspired after watching cooking shows about Mexico. I must tell you, it is one of the most interesting soups that I've had in a while. The broth was flavorful, and there were plenty of ingredients already in it. But they give you some fresh cilantro, onions, and jalapeños on the side. Oh! And when you squeeze some fresh limon into it, it just perks up the flavor in some very interesting ways. I know most people go to taquerias to eat burritos and more burritos, but try this soup. It's really good.
Now I need to take a siesta...
Just got back from the farmer's market... I picked up some really really nice tomatoes. Look!
Now, most people would probably cringe when they pick these up in their hand. They're a lot more soft than what you're probably used to, from the grocery stores, etc. I'm sure many people would consider these as "spoiled" or "over-ripened". Not me. This is how tomatoes should be. They're super heavy with juice, and soft. But they're still firm inside, and they're definitely ripe. After all, tomatoes are actually considered to be a berry, not a vegetable. So I tend to pick tomatoes based on how I pick fruit. Sometimes, I'll even eat a tomato just like eating an apple.
But in this case, since they were so soft, I wanted to actually prepare them a little bit.
When I cut them open I could feel, through the knife, how firm they were and that they didn't really need much in terms of flavoring. If anything, the least you can do, the better. I arranged them (sort of) on a plate, and then sprinkled some nice big chunky grains of sea salt on them. Then cracked a generous dosage of black pepper over them. Finally, I drizzled some extra virgin olive oil over every piece. Here's what it looks like:
FYI - these are "Shady Lady" tomatoes.
I haven't done one of these posts in a while, mainly because nothing new has come out in the greasy snack food category. I have had some chips and stuff, but it's more along the lines of your run-of-the-mill sour cream n' onion variety. A few weeks ago, I happened to pass by the chip aisle and saw these:
So I brought them home and pulled apart the top of the bag which revealed these:
So how did they taste?
Well, they were actually really good! They didn't offer the level of hotness that I wanted, but I certainly felt a hint of burning in my mouth from them. Furthermore, if you look closely at the bag, in the bottom corner, near the chili, are a few basil leaves. I was surprised that they have a slight hit of basil flavor after the chili taste. It's not strong, but it's just enough to help these chips have some other kind of taste.
Final score: 8/10
I really liked these. I think they're the best non-American flavor of chips which I don't think you can get in the States. And if you can find them here in the U.S., go out and give them a try. I liked the subtle hit of basil, combined with the slight heat from the chili. Combine that with the fried potato flavor, these things are just bomb. You probably could just fry up some hash browns with basil and dump some hot sauce on them and get the same kind of taste, but these come in a big plastic bag and require no effort from you. So it's well worth it. Go get some right now!!
I still really love quite a number of different things about the Bay Area. In my last post, I briefly talked about the "sense of place" and despite the things that I dislike about California (and the Bay Area), I still feel like I fit in here much better than I do Canada. Someone, a Vancouverite, told me that Vancouver is to Canada as San Francisco is for the United States. But to be perfectly honest, they're not comparable. Vancouver might have some things akin to the City By The Bay, but there are things about this place which are truly found nowhere else.
Anyway, one of the other things I love about the Bay Area are all the farmer's markets! The produce here is seriously some of the best! I have yet to find the same quality of vegetables that you can get here in California, in Canada. BC is supposed to be one of the more bountiful places in Canada, but it doesn't compare at all with the quality and breadth of options you can get down here. Fruits are sweet and juicy! Vegetables are a deep green and have taste! It is just amazing what you can get here, and it makes me sad that you just can't get this kind of food anywhere else. I think if people could get vegetables of this quality elsewhere in the world, more people would eat vegetables.
And then, of course, there is the Mexican food! Oh. My. God. When you get tacos in Canada, the first thing they ask you is not what kind of meat would you like, but whether you want hard or soft taco shells. WHAT. THE. FUCK. And no, I did not go to Taco Bell. After having to ask for soft taco shells, and having to specify a corn tortilla, they don't even bother to heat up the tortillas, a travesty! Thank god for places like Charlie's! I went there almost immediately and got the usual 2 taco combination platter... Carnitas, of course... Having rice and beans, after almost a year without, almost brought tears to my eyes. I actually stopped myself, before I ate my first forkful, just admiring the food in front of me, and appreciating it for what it was.
And of course, it was delicious.
A while back, I had a post about the demolition of historic Bay Meadows race track. Back then, they were knocking holes in the walls, and tearing the building apart. The horses were gone. The fountain, turned off. I never actually went to Bay Meadows, and never really had any interest in betting on the horses. But it's been in the Bay Area ever since I first moved out here. It's always been there. It's a landmark, or well... It was...
I had ridden past there a few months back, while on my bike, but didn't have a camera with me. So I went back there yesterday specifically just to snap some pics.
But something about it makes me sad. I mean, I never went there, so I don't really have any fond memories of experiences I had at the track. But I always just passed by it on my bike or on CalTrain. But like I said, it's been a fixture of the Peninsula for so many years. It's hard to see it gone. I keep expecting to see a huge concrete building here, and there's literally nothing here but a dirty pond, and some dry brown grass and shrubs... Well, there's the rubble pile too... But that rubble pile is all that's left of the huge building which sat here for many many years, chronicling the triumph and tragedy of the winners and losers of countless races.
Well, there's still a lot of adventure ahead of me over the next few weeks. I'm on a much needed respite from my current digs in Canada. I've only been here a few days and I'm already dreading the trip back. It's sunny and warm here, and I know it will be dismal, cold and rainy when I get back. But, at least for now, it's time to live it up and have some fun.
A mixture of random stuff today...
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So, I think in one of my early posts I addressed this topic. But it's this idea of "place" and belonging somewhere, and having this sense of place... Where does it come from? I'm back down in the States for a little while, specifically in the Bay Area again. It definitely feels familiar, and not just because I've lived here for a number of years. But things make sense in a way that they really don't, living up in Canada. I even get some of it when I drive down to Seattle, but it's little things, like road signs being in MPH. There are lots of little experiences here in California which just make sense to me. It could be that people are way more independent here, which you really don't see in Canada.
In a way, it is probably tied very closely to psychology. It's the same thing as feeling "at home" or "connected" to something. You probably don't have any physical connections to where you live, no chains or ropes to hold you back. So it's all mostly mental... It's also probably a huge reason why some people never leave where they live.
I've never been someone who felt such a strong tie to where they're from, but yet coming back here, even after over a year of living abroad, I find that I identify even more strongly with this place than I originally thought I would. It never really came up until I left California for the northern climes and I think it's plain, as the clear blue California sky, that I don't belong anywhere else but here.
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Somewhat in the same vein as the last topic, we saw District 9 yesterday. It's a really really good movie. It was way more intense than I thought it would be, with all the people exploding and stuff... I'm really glad they didn't turn it into a political discussion of alien rights and crap like that, cuz that would've just ruined the whole movie.
The only thing I thought was a little hokey was how they left it open for sequels. Why do they do that? I mean, I know why they do that, but why do it? I mean, why not just tie up the movie in the way that it should without leaving stupid hints that additional possible things could happen if only they could secure more funding for more filming.
Anyway, go watch it if you haven't seen it yet. I found it thoroughly entertaining, and while it's probably not an Oscar-worthy flick (at least not the kind of movies that win Oscars these days), it's certainly one of the best movies of this year.
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DTV is great!
* * *
Free healthcare has been in the news a lot lately. It is one of the worst ideas ever. It's the kind of thing only a naive college student wants, without considering how damaging it would be to the economy and more importantly, the QUALITY OF MEDICAL CARE! Do those people even realize why Canada can provide free medical care? Most Canadians who actually want quality care can just pay a bit more money, drive across the border, and get real treatment from a doctor in the United States. The free healthcare you get in Canada is basically on the level of the free clinics you get in college, i.e. it sucks balls. I have a personal anecdote of a Canadian doctor prescribing green tea for treating cancer, only after telling an elderly person that they are supposed to get cancer, due to their age. What the fuck kind of medical care is that?!?! I'll tell you what kind, the free kind.
If the U.S. proceeds with the whole free healthcare thing, get ready for even longer lines at hospitals, and the worst part, get worse quality of care. Doctors who want to actually make a living, will just leave the U.S. and go to other job markets where they can get paid for their time. The hardcore leftists expect people to provide free services out of the goodness of their hearts. It's a very noble thing, no question. If people really worked that way, then the whole free healthcare thing would've already happened. But the reality is that people don't operate like that, and I think we're seeing the natural progression of the medical healthcare industry.
How about, instead of funding free healthcare, most Americans should get off their fat asses and stop eating fast food and start exercising? How about that? Prevent the major health problems on your own, instead of always depending on the government to fix things.
The elderly person from my anecdote is doing fine today, after receiving treatment which they paid for, from an American doctor.
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Well... At any rate, it's good to be back in the States.
This is why college football owns the pros!!
